As more and more online applications and services are being made available over networks (such as Internet, intranets, and/or extranets), network operators (or service providers) are asked to keep their data storage systems up-to-date with the latest technological advances.
In this regard, backplane-based data servers or storage servers are mainly composed of backplanes disposed in a chassis and to which a plurality of printed circuit board modules (or service cards) and storage units are mounted.
In particular, printed circuit board modules are subject to constant innovative research and design so as to meet constantly changing requirements. This concerns both hardware and software components of printed circuit board modules (e.g. processors, clock generators, chips, digital signal processor, FPGA, switches, processing algorithms).
Accordingly, ever evolving printed circuit board modules induce a strong need for permanent upgrade of data storage systems so that improving online data processing and enabling high-speed remote storing and retrieving data.
However, current backplane structures are inflexible so that upgrading or adding a particular printed circuit board module may require the replacement of the entire backplane. This results in significant expenses and delays associated with systems disassembly and assembly. It is usually undesirable, even intolerable, whether for small, medium, or large-size data storage systems on which a given business depends.
Moreover, current backplanes provide connectors for receiving in a fixed and predefined arrangement of individual printed circuit board modules. In others words, up-to-date backplanes provide a fixed correspondence between module connectors and backplane storage unit connectors. Therefore, customized interconnections, intended for a given achievement, between printed circuit board modules are not supported by current backplanes.
In addition, including in the chassis further backplanes adapted to meet specific operating requirements to be performed by up-to-date printed circuit board modules is another challenging problem. In fact, this results in increased expenses and inconvenience in terms of hardware usage, power, and cooling consumption.
Hence, because of lack of modularity and flexibility of current backplanes, data storage systems upgrade with new data processing methods and/or printed circuit board modules usually turns into heavy investment for service providers, and especially for those having a great number of backplane-based servers.
One object of the present invention is to overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings of currently available backplanes, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a backplane providing an extra degree of flexibility for upgrading printed circuit board modules mounted thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a backplane architecture enabling flexible use of module connectors.
Another object of the present invention is to promote printed circuit board modules advances that enable high performance remote data processing, storing and retrieving.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a modular backplane which reduces costs of printed circuit board modules upgrading.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a modular backplane enabling various use cases of the module connectors so that printed circuit board modules mounted thereto could perform particular processing tasks.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a module connector compatible with existing bus standards.